[🇧🇩] Sea Ports/Air Ports/River Ports/Bridges/Mega Projects

[Bilal9]

I was also thinking that Karnaphuli Tunnel was a white elephant but after reading your post my impression on the Tunnel has completely changed. Thank you

Korean EPZ (also Chinese EPZ next to it) are both in Anowara, which is past KAFCO - on the other side of the mouth for Karnaphuli River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. In the below map, KAFCO can be seen on the left side of the other bank and Korean EPZ on the right.

Korean EPZ is one of the larger Export zones in all of Asia (not just South Asia).

Mirsarai EPZ further up the coast, is Asia's largest at 33,000 acres (it will expand to 45,000 acres at some point and includes both Feni and Chittagong areas).

National Special Economic Zone (Bengali: জাতীয় বিশেষ অর্থনৈতিক অঞ্চল),formerly the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN; Bengali: বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব শিল্পনগর), is an economic zone in Chittagong Division of Bangladesh, spanning 33,407 acres (135.19 km2). Situated along the Dhaka–Chittagong highway, the economic zone is positioned about 60 kilometres (37 mi) away from the port city of Chittagong. It is being developed under the oversight of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).By 2024, various companies have collectively invested US$1.23 billion, with five industrial units already operational.

 

[Saif]

Airport ground handling must be left to efficient providers

Biman comes with a poor track record for the job

www.thedailystar.net

Airport ground handling must be left to efficient providers
Biman comes with a poor track record for the job

VISUAL: STAR

We are surprised that Biman has been awarded the ground handling responsibility for the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), despite having a very poor track record. According to a report by this daily, Biman is set to take charge for two years initially, overseeing tasks such as boarding passengers, managing baggage, handling cargo, and providing various aircraft services. However, given its history of subpar service, we have serious doubts about its ability to handle this crucial task. Naturally, the decision has raised concerns among aviation experts and other stakeholders.

Over the past years, Biman has consistently failed to satisfy passengers, with many experiencing significant delays in luggage handling while instances of staff misconduct, particularly towards migrant workers, were also commonplace. Additionally, Biman's inefficient ground handling has often disrupted overseas trade, while the two currently operational terminals have struggled to cope with the pressure of increasing export and import volumes. So, the main purpose of building a new terminal was to solve all these issues by improving the airport's efficiency and ground handling services. Therefore, we think this decision by the government is contradictory to this whole effort.

Internationally, no airport reportedly relies on a single ground handling provider. So why has the government made such a decision? Has it consulted all relevant stakeholders before taking such action? If not, why? According to experts, Biman does not even have necessary, trained manpower to operate the terminal. Moreover, a survey by the HSIA authorities revealed that 93 airlines favoured having multiple ground handling service providers at the new terminal, which would foster competition and improve services. We also must mention that it is this kind of monopoly that has emboldened our state carrier to engage in widespread corruption and irregularities over the decades.

The decision to award Biman this job was ill-considered, so we urge the government to reconsider it. If we want the quality of ground handling services at the third terminal to be world-class, the job should be awarded through an open competition involving multiple service providers. Although Biman is supposed to take this charge for two years, we think this period could further damage the airport's reputation.​

 

[Saif]

Open tender to find temporary operator of New Mooring terminal

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is preparing to float an open tender to appoint a temporary operator for New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of the Chattogram port until a foreign one is entrusted with the role.

www.thedailystar.net

Open tender to find temporary operator of New Mooring terminal

The New Mooring Container Terminal handles over 60 percent of Chattogram port’s containers. Photo: Dwaipayan Barua

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is preparing to float an open tender to appoint a temporary operator for New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of the Chattogram port until a foreign one is entrusted with the role.

An open tender is an invitation to all eligible and qualified vendors without any additional restrictions or prerequisite criteria.

The CPA has sent a proposal to the shipping ministry to amend some clauses in a 2018 government directive, officially called a "Statutory Regulatory Order", which effectively limited bids, said CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman yesterday.

An open tender will ensure that the bidding is participatory, competitive and not discriminatory, he said.

He was addressing a press conference at CPA auditorium yesterday, the first since he took office on August 10 right after the fall of the Awami League government.

A government-to-government agreement is currently in effect for the appointment of Dubai state-owned multinational logistics company DP World to run the NCT under public private partnership

The agreement with the current operator, Saif Powertec Ltd, will expire in the first week of January next year. It was appointed under a "direct procurement method", which stipulated that bids meet specific requirements.

A government-to-government agreement is currently in effect for the appointment of Dubai state-owned multinational logistics company DP World to run the NCT under public private partnership.

DP World operates ports around the world, from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires, and is headquartered at its flagship Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.

A consultation firm, officially termed "international transaction adviser", has also been appointed to fix the terms and conditions.

It will take around a year to get the documents from the "international transaction adviser", said the CPA chairman.

The NCT, with its five container jetties, handles over 60 percent of the Chattogram port's containers.

The Chattogram port, Bangladesh's premier seaport, handles roughly 90 percent of the South Asian country's annual $125 billion trade with the rest of the world.

Today, it is the 67th busiest container port in the world and in 2022, it handled 31.4 lakh TEUs of containers.

Apart from the NCT, the Chattogram port has a Chittagong Container Terminal, a Patenga Container Terminal and a General Cargo Berth.

Additional expansion projects—a Laldia multipurpose terminal and Bay Terminal—are currently being implemented.

In another development, a new shipping liner service has directly connected the Port of Karachi in Pakistan to the Chattogram port, saving time and costs, he said.

Previously, cargo was transported between the two countries via transhipment ports in Colombo and Singapore, he said.

The new service will connect several countries like the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, said the CPA chairman.

For the first time, a container vessel named MV Yang Xiang Fa Zhan arrived at the Chattogram port from Karachi on November 11.

It contained 328 import-laden containers, including 264 from Karachi and the rest from Jebel Ali Port. The vessel left for Indonesia on the following day.

The vessel had a capacity to carry 2,300 containers and the shipping liner would continue operating on the route if imports increase, added the CPA chairman.​

 

[Bilal9]

Airport ground handling must be left to efficient providers

Biman comes with a poor track record for the job

www.thedailystar.net

Airport ground handling must be left to efficient providers
Biman comes with a poor track record for the job

View attachment 10768
VISUAL: STAR

We are surprised that Biman has been awarded the ground handling responsibility for the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), despite having a very poor track record. According to a report by this daily, Biman is set to take charge for two years initially, overseeing tasks such as boarding passengers, managing baggage, handling cargo, and providing various aircraft services. However, given its history of subpar service, we have serious doubts about its ability to handle this crucial task. Naturally, the decision has raised concerns among aviation experts and other stakeholders.

Over the past years, Biman has consistently failed to satisfy passengers, with many experiencing significant delays in luggage handling while instances of staff misconduct, particularly towards migrant workers, were also commonplace. Additionally, Biman's inefficient ground handling has often disrupted overseas trade, while the two currently operational terminals have struggled to cope with the pressure of increasing export and import volumes. So, the main purpose of building a new terminal was to solve all these issues by improving the airport's efficiency and ground handling services. Therefore, we think this decision by the government is contradictory to this whole effort.

Internationally, no airport reportedly relies on a single ground handling provider. So why has the government made such a decision? Has it consulted all relevant stakeholders before taking such action? If not, why? According to experts, Biman does not even have necessary, trained manpower to operate the terminal. Moreover, a survey by the HSIA authorities revealed that 93 airlines favoured having multiple ground handling service providers at the new terminal, which would foster competition and improve services. We also must mention that it is this kind of monopoly that has emboldened our state carrier to engage in widespread corruption and irregularities over the decades.

The decision to award Biman this job was ill-considered, so we urge the government to reconsider it. If we want the quality of ground handling services at the third terminal to be world-class, the job should be awarded through an open competition involving multiple service providers. Although Biman is supposed to take this charge for two years, we think this period could further damage the airport's reputation.​

`
The job for running the administration and activity for the 3rd terminal of the airport will be handled by a Japanese consortium, Sumitomo and Nippon Koei - for 15 years, CAAB has decided.

Biman will be given a two year assignment under the Japanese for ground handling and cargo - they will get trained by the Japanese companies. If Biman don't perform, then they will be out. Good chance for Biman, Let's see if they can measure up.

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal Int'l Airport has been upgraded to ILS Cat. II from Category I. This will allow automated landings in low visibility (foggy) conditions. Video talks about the background and context of the upgrade. Of note - the three other major airports (Sylhet, Chittagong, Jessore) will also be upgraded to ILS Cat. II soon.

 

[Saif]

Container handling at Ctg port rises 10% in Aug-Oct

There has been a significant year-on-year rise in the number of containers handled at Chattogram port in the three months till October while there was a drop in the overall handling of cargo and ships.

www.thedailystar.net

Container handling at Ctg port rises 10% in Aug-Oct

There has been a significant year-on-year rise in the number of containers handled at Chattogram port in the three months till October while there was a drop in the overall handling of cargo and ships.

The port handled a total of 8.30 lakh TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, both goods-laden ones and empty, between August and October.

This is 10.21 percent higher than the 7.54 lakh TEUs handled in the same period last year.

Of the 8.30 lakh TEUs, 4.50 lakh TEUs had arrived, while the rest were destined to go abroad.

According to Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), the data was a compilation of the number of containers handled at the port's jetties, Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka and Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj.

The port users opined that a significant number of containers that could not be moved for political turmoil since mid-July were transported later, and thus the volume increased in subsequent months.

A container congestion arose at the port yards due to the political unrest, said Muntasir Rubayat, head of operations at GBX Logistics, a leading feeder vessel operating firm.

This caused delays in the unloading and loading of cargo and led to the formation of a long queue of vessels, he told The Daily Star.

Many export-laden containers could not be brought to the port from factories and private inland container depots (ICD) due to disruptions in vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, he said.

As the situation slowly improved, it was possible to bring these to the port in the following weeks and thus there was a gradual increase in the flux of containers and vessels in the following months.

Port data shows that container throughput rose at the port and Kamalapur ICD in August and September.

In terms of the overall handling of cargo, including containerised and bulk cargo, the port saw a 5.18 percent year-on-year decrease in the three months.

A total of 2.91 crore tonnes of cargo were handled through the port's jetties and outer anchorage from August to October.

It was over 3.07 crore tonnes in the same period last year.

There was a decrease in the import of cargo in bulk in August and September, said Syed Md Arif, president of Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association.

This is due to the fact that importers who made small-scale purchases were finding it hard to open letters of credit for a crisis of US dollars, he said.

Even those who usually make large-scale purchases imported goods in small quantities and for this, they hired comparatively small-sized bulk carriers.

There was an increase in the number of bulk carriers that had arrived in September and October, Arif added.

A total of 966 vessels arrived in the last three months, whereas it was 1,023 in the same period last year.​

 

[Bilal9]

Nice view of Bhairab inland river port and the three bridges (two rail and one road bridge) there, Plans are almost being finalized to upgrade this port to a container handling dock situation of international standard. I am certain that the road and rail logistics (already existing as seen below) will be integrated with this new port. The current port dates from time immemorial using old wooden cargo ships but nowadays 6000~8000 tons lighterage ships are the norm for equipment.

Once upgraded - Bhairab can act as an Inland Container terminal - just like the first one (Pangaon) set up about fifteen years ago, Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (PICT) is in Keraniganj and handles 116,000 TEUs annually.

Here are some smaller Inland container carrier ships (about 150~200 TEUs capacity for each) servicing PICT. Inland riverine container logistics is rapidly growing in Bangladesh and cost is a lot lower than either rail container through Kamalapur ICD or by container semi-truck. Needless to say all ships were built in Bangladeshi yards.

 

[Bilal9]

Chinese and other freight carriers are a far more common sight at Dhaka Int'l Airport now, even compared to a year ago. Air shipping is expensive, but for higher grade apparel (time sensitive too) it well justifies the heightened cost.



More Cargo carriers and a rarity - the US Bangla A330 returning to base.